Refrigerating apparatus



SePt-.15, 1936- w. c, HoLBRooK REFRIGERATING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-sheet 1 Original Filed' Jan. 5l, 1928 aucun I lvmllll Sept. 15, 1936. W, Q HOLBROOK 2,054,323

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Original Filed Jan. 31, 1923 4 Sheets-Sheef 2 l, Z 6 m 3. 2. 2 8 3 Z w Y qw h... 3 Mu Sept. 15, 1936. Y w. c. HoLBRooK 2,054,323

REFRIGERA'IIING APPARATUS Original Filed Jan. 5l, 1923 4 Sheets-SheetI 3 Sepi- 15, 1936. w. c. HoLBRooK l 2,054,323

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS original Filed Jan. 31, 1923- 4 sheets-sheet 4 Y MKM/,

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Patented Sept. 1 5, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Application January 31 1928, Serial. No. 250,808 Renewed March 4, 1935 2 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigerators and more p aiiticularly to a cabinet made of molded materia An object of this invention is to provide a refrigerator which does not cori-ode or warp.

Another object of this invention is to provide a refrigerator made of molded material and which has great structural strength.

Another object of this invention is to provide a method of making a refrigerator of non-corro dible construction.

Another object of this invention is to provide a method which reduces the cost of manufacture of a refrigerator.

Another object of this invention is to provide a refrigerator made of materials so selected and placed that corrosion is prevented and great structural strength is obtained.

Further objects and advantages of the present 2o invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. i is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a refrigerator embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view along A,the line 2.-2 of Fig. 1 with the refrigerator mechy'anism omitted;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailed view of the construction around the door jamb shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a frame which may be used in the construction of a refrigerator embodying my invention;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional view similar to Fig. 2 but showing a modified construction, and

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view, with parts broken away, of a machine for practicing a step in my method of manufacturing refrigerators.

A refrigerator embodying my invention is generally designated as 2li and comprises an outer shell 2|, an `inner lining 22, a frame 23 and insulation 24.

The frame 23 may be made of angle metal members such as sheet metal bent to form angle members and, in the embodiment shown in Fig. 4 the frame 23 may comprise struts 26 spacing rectangular bands 21. The bands 21 may be placed in mirror symmetry and the corners may be bridged by struts 26. 'Ihe front of the frame may have an additional horizontal member 21a adapted to form part of the bottom of the door opening of the refrigerator. A door jamb 28 may be made of some insulating material such as wood and this door jamb may be secured as by screws 29 to the framework 23, preferably within the angles of some` of the angle metal members as shown in the drawings. The joint between the angle metal members may be secured by welding, such as by spot welding, diagrammatically indicated at 30. If necessary, the cor- Vners may be braced in any suitable manner, such as by gussets placed at the corners, not -shown in the drawings. f

AThe outer shell 2| made of molded material may be secured to the frame 23, and one method of securing the shell 2| may be by molding the material directly on the frame in a manner more fully to be described. The outer shell may comprise front wall 3|, side walls 32, top 33 and back wall 34. If convenient, part of the outer shell need not be made of molded material, and in Fig. 5, I have'shown the back wall 34' made of sheet metal, which metalwall 34' may be secured to the outer shell 2| or'itothe frame 23 in any suitable manner. If desired, corner metal protecting strips 3|', shown in dotted outline in Fig. 3, may be placed on any of the corners embedded in the molded material.

The inner lining 22 which maybe of sheet metal may be porcelain lined. It may comprise an open ended box having bottom wall 35, back wall 36, side walls 31 and top wall 38. This lining 22 may be secured at its edges to the framework 23, and preferably to the door jamb 28 by t any means such as by screws 39. A nishing strip 40 of molded material may be placed over the door jamb 28 in order to enhance the appearance of the cabinet and to prevent the exposure of wood to the atmosphere.

Between the outer shell 2| and the inner shell or lining 22.there may be placed insulation 24. This insulation may be placed in the space between the shells in any suitable manner. A method of placing the insulation therein may be by sealing the space between the shells by a bottom plate" member 4| joining the back wall 34 and the side walls 32 and part of the front wall 3| of the outer shell 2|, in order to form a complete enclosure for the space between the shells 2| and 22. An aperture 42 may be provided in the outer shell 2| and insulation in plastic form may be forced into the space by any suit- 5 able pumping means and preferably by pumping means of the cylinder and plunger construction.

In practicing the method wherein the outer shell 2| is to be molded directly on the frame 23,

a machine such as that shown in Fig. 6 may be used for this purpose. rIhe machine or press may comprise a plunger 50 reciprocated in a cylinder by any powerful means, such as a hydraulic press 52.

53 may have a contour similar to the outside of the refrigerator. Within this mold 53, may reciprocate a core 54 having an outer contom; somewhat similar to the interior of the outside shell 2|. 'I'he cylinder 5| may have placed thereina suitable material 55 for forming the outside i provided to abut against the core 54 to form the door opening and any other desired opening, such as the opening 60 for the insertion ofthe refrigerating machinery. After the plunger 50 has moved downwardly a Sufficient distance to displace enough material 55 to form the shell` 2|, the plungers 51 and 58 are withdrawn horizontally, and then upon further movementl of the plunger 50 the plate 6| is forced downwardly to carry with it the core 54. When the core 54 is withdrawn, it carries with it the molded shell 2| below the opening of the mold 53 formed by the plate 62. Bolt-like members 63 then stop further downward movement of stripper plate 6I. A further downward movement may be caused in the core-supportingr table 64 to which the core 54 is attached by any means, such as screws 65. 'Ihis further downward movement of the core 54 withdraws the core from the shell 2 I, which shell is prevented from moving downward by the stripper plate 6|. The shell 2| is thus left standing on the stripper plate 6|, free of the core 54,

and may be removed from the machine.

After the shell 2| has been formed on the frame 23 by anymethod, such as the one above described, the lining 22 may be inserted through the door opening and it may be secured to the door jamb 28 as hereinbefore described. 'If the back of the cabinet is not made of molded material but is left open to receive a rear wall 34', as shown in Fig. 5then the lining, if preferred,

` may be inserted through the back of the cabinet.

When insertedvthrough the back of the cabinet, the lining, if desired, may have the insulation attached to said lining before insertion into, the cabinet, or, if desired, the method of forcing the insulation into the space by pumping means as heretofore described may be used.

The lower rectangular band 21 may have its horizontal flanges 18 made to extend only to the inner edge. of the shell 2| in order that the core 54 may be inserted into the cabinet. If a bottom is desired in the cabinet, a plate 1| may be secured to the lower rectangular band 21 by any suitable means and gliders 12 may comprise part of the fastening means of the plate 1|. If desired, however, separate gliding means may be provided.A

While I have shown plungers 51 and 58 as horizontally reciprocable against the core 54, other door forming means may be used, if desired.

The cylinder 5| may have connected 4thereto one or more cabinet molds 53. The mold For instance, cores of the thicknessof the shell 2|, and of the shape of the door opening'mayibe removably attached to the core 54. Upon downward movement of the core 54, these door cores being attached to the core 54, are carried down- 5 wardly with the core 54. The door cores may be detached from the core 54 before the cabinetv is stripped from the core 54, but after it has vbeen removed from the mold 53.

The cabinet, if it is to be usedfor mechanical refrigeration, may have a cooling unit generally designated as 8l, placed therein. If the cooling unit is of the evaporator type, it may comprise a oat chamber 8| receiving liquid refrigerant .through pipe 82 and discharging evaporated re- 15 frigerant through pipe 83, the admission of liquid refrigerant being controlled by a oat valve (not shown), in chamber 8| connected to pipe 82. Depending from chamber 8| may be provided cooling coils 84 surrounding ice tray sleeves 85. The 20 front of the cooling unit ,80 may be enclosed by a shield 86 having openings 81 connected to sleeves 85 for receiving ice trays. A drip pan 88 provided with opening 88 Aand bonnet 90 may be placed beneath the cooling unit, and may be supported by struts 9| suitably mounted on the lining. Racks 92 for receptacles and food to be cooled may be provided. The cooling unit may be suspended from the lining by straps 83. The pipes 82 and 83 may be connected to `a refrigerating 30 mechanism located in the compartment 84 or outside the refrigerator.

While the form of embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood .that other shell member of molded composition material having great structural strength, said outer shell member having rectangular skeleton metal structural framework comprising horizontal and vertical members joined together concealed and embedded within said outer shell member, said outer shell forming the outer finished portion of the cabinet as well as the main structural member of the cabinet, an opening in the outer shell for aldoor opening, an insulating member extending around the door opening and securely fastened to the outer shell, an inner liner' just slightly smaller than the door opening in the outer shell and the insulating member that the inner liner is slidable into and out of tlsigdoor opening, the front edges of the inner liner being including all of the outer upright walls, and form 65 ing the main structural memberof the cabinet, an opening in the outer shell for a door opening, an inner one piece liner just slightly smaller than the door opening in the outer shell so that the inner one piece liner is slidable into and out of 70 the door opening. an insulating member connecting the front edges of the innerl liner with the Vouter shell at the door opening.

WILLIAM C. HOLBROOK. 

